Dried full-strength Test Sample with BLO (test pieces made from butt stock cut-off):
Stock before application (prep is everything):
First 9:1 cut-strength application:
Third application:
Fourth application:
Sixth application:
Seventh application:
Eigth application after steel wool:
First "wet-coat" of BLO (kept soaked 3 hours, wiped dry and hung 3 days):
Immediately after wipe off, before 3 day cure:
After all hand-rubbed coats have been applied and cured:
Two additional soak-coats were done before the oil was no longer absorbing into the wood, each with a wipe-down and 3 day cure. All remaining coats were hand-rubbed applications and cured 24-48 hours between.
Now for my reasoning, which some traditionalists may or may not agree with. I like Aqua-Fortis but it is hard to control in itself. Depending on the amount of heat applied, and the wood in hand, your results can vary widely. Then you have to worry about how much color to put under, or in your finish to shift the result of the AF to the color you want. Depending on wood absorption, again a hard to control process.
When I pick a color I would like to achieve I want to hit that color exactly, regardless of the way the wood reacts. Each wood will pull stains differently, and is exactly why I cut the mixture 9:1 after the initial sample is made. By doing so I can walk the color into exactly the shade I want whether the wood pulls it quickly (requiring less coats), or slowly (need more coats). Either way, each change in depth is incremental, and can be adjusted one way or the other to suit. The nice thing is I can always make it darker than the original full-strength sample, just by adding additional coats. A secondary plus is the raising of hairs. Normally, the first three coats will raise hairs on the wood. Knocking these down with a light 0000 steel wool takes about a minute to do, and by the fourth coat no more, or very few, hairs will raise. A final steel wool at the end finishes it up nicely.
The cons: 1) The process is slow. 2) You must test the color with your finish. I use only BLO, so that is what I am used to. If you use something different, then it must be tested. Look at the image of the eight coat, and after the first soak. A significant difference in color. Be forewarned. LOL
I've been using this method for over 30 years in woodworking. It's something I am comfortable with and I have done successfully over a thousand times. If this is something you'd like to try I will make a suggestion. Mix any alcohol based color you like. Cut a dozen sample pieces, put a coat on each, then set one aside. Put a second coat on the 11 remaining pieces, and set one aside. Continue this process till you have 12 samples with 1 to 12 coats, then apply an oil soak-coat of your finish to each one. It'll give you a wealth of knowledge on how you can use this method. Each one will have a different depth of color. This is something that works for me. Time consuming, yes. Produces good results? You tell me.
